More Rugby and some very nice Gosset

A big day yesterday. It began with a stroll down to the waterfront for some beers with Nick Stock and Iain Riggs (of Brokenwood in Australia’s Hunter Valley), but this morphed into lunch when Stocky successfully got us a table in a crowded restaurant by slipping a member of staff some $$$. His view is that tipping before the meal is always more effective.

We ordered squid and found some Gosset on the wine list. One of my favourite Champagne houses, and this wine was singing, with real intensity and depth of flavour. Presumably there’s quite a bit of reserve wine in this blend.

Me, Adrian Atkinson and Oz Clarke

After lunch it was off to the pre-game hospitality, held in a beautiful setting at the Hilton overlooking the water. The excitement was building. The Wallaby fans were getting twitchy.

We got to the ground with time to spare, and Eden Park was buzzing. The game itself was gripping, but not a classic. Australia struggled to make any impact, and spent about 40 seconds in New Zealand’s 22. The All Blacks looked in a different class.

The score, 20-6, reflected this. All the Kiwis were happy, which is a good thing, because I’m here until Thursday.